I am a senior undergraduate at Utah Valley University. I will be
graduating in December 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a
minor in chemistry. I’m currently conducting two independent research
projects under Dr. Jess Cusick and Dr. Craig Thulin. My research with
Dr. Cusick is investigating the effects of maternal stress and
microbiome manipulations on offspring social behavior in Siberian
hamsters. In Dr. Thulin’s lab, I am developing a new protein detection
method called the midwestern blot, with the ultimate goal of isolating
and identifying xanthommatin pigment-binding proteins from monarch
butterfly pupae.
I am currently applying to biochemistry and
chemical biology PhD programs. I hope to conduct interdisciplinary
research focusing on the chemical processes which underlie larger
biological functions.
